The Recovery of Team 7: The Spark of Something New
by Prod the Mind
Summary: What happens when Naruto finally is able to bring Sasuke back to Konoha? Will Sakura go back to her old love, or will she find someone new? The battle to get things back to the way they were before begins! Chapter 4 is finally up!
1. Chapter 1: The Fateful Encounter

The Recovery of Team 7 and The Spark of Something New

Chapter 1: The Fateful encounter, will he be OK?

_Dialogue: By me, Narrations, Locations, or whatever I feel like adding._

Dialogue: Characters speech, story line, plot, etc.

(This is just to show you the difference. I know this is not needed but I wanted to be like everyone else with something up here!)

Disclaimer: I do not own anything or anyone from Naruto. Even though I wish I did, but unfortunately I do not.

* * *

_Sasuke has finally decided to attack Konoha. The fateful encounter of Naruto and Sasuke is happening right outside of Konoha's gates. Sasuke and Naruto are all alone in their fight. Sasuke lost Karen in a fight with Danzo and he lost his other two companions at the meeting of the five Kages. Naruto left without notifying anyone. The Hokage sent Sakura and Kakashi to find Naruto and bring him back safely after she had found out why Naruto left. The two were racing as fast as they could so that they could get to the two in time._

_---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
_

_In the forest outside of Konoha_

"SASUKE!!!! Why are you attacking Konoha?" Naruto screamed.

"Because I want revenge! The elders used Itachi. They made him kill his family, turned their back on him, and then turned him into a missing nin. And then they had the nerve to lie to me about it and use me to KILL HIM!!! I will never forgive them!!!" Sasuke said.

"I understand how you feel."

"How can you. You who has no family! Never felt the loss of them!"

"I have felt pain. The entire village shunned me my entire life. They hated me for the stupid fox inside of me. Please come back. I know you don't want to do this."

"ENOUGH!" Sasuke ran through some hand seals. "Katon: Fire Dragon jutsu."

A huge dragon made of fire was conjured and sent straight at Naruto. "Suton: Water Wall jutsu!" A giant wall of water sprouted up in front of Naruto effectively defending against Sasuke's attack. Sasuke took no time in waiting. He charged directly at Naruto, drawing his sword. Naruto pulled his Katana from his sheath on his back. Their swords locked. "SASUKE!!! It doesn't need to be this way!" Naruto yelled

"YES IT DOES!!! YOU DON'T KNOW THE HATRED I HAVE!!!" Sasuke screamed back.

"I do! I hated the villagers for hating me. I know what it is like to be the outcast, the loner! I know your hatred. If I was able to overcome it than you can too!"

"SHUT UP!!!! WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU TO TALK TO ME LIKE THAT!"

* * *

_In the forest with Kakashi and Sakura_

"Kakashi-Sempai? Do you think we will make it in time?" Sakura asked.

"We can only hope Sakura. All we can do is move as fast as we can."

"Yes."

* * *

_In the clearing with Sasuke and Naruto_

Sasuke went through some more handseals. Lightning enveloped his sword. Naruto did that same except wind surrounded his Katana. Once again the adversaries charged at each other. Sasuke slashed. Naruto jumped back avoiding the blade by mere inches. He then jumped forward with his own attack. Sasuke doged. Naruto jumped back a few feet making hand signs. "Suton: Water Dragon jutsu." A giant water dragon appeared from the ground and attacked Sasuke. Sasuke was unable to dodge and the attack hit him dead on. He caught a tree limb and was able to keep from being swept away. Naruto jumped at him, he pulled a kunai out and threw it at Naruto. It hit Naruto in the side. Naruto pulled the Kunai out and continued his charge. Sasuke pulled his sword out and charged towards Naruto. The two swords clashed sending a loud ringing sound through the forest. Naruto thrusted and Sasuke evaded. Sasuke saw his opening and slashed Naruto's side. Naruto screamed out in pain. Fresh blood was pouring over the hand that covered his wounded side.

"ENOUGH!!!!! CHIDORI!!" Sasuke screamed.

"Fine. I will end this now and force you back!" Naruto said. A ball of chakra started forming in his hand. "Rasengan!"

The two ninjas charged at each other.

Sakura and Kakashi finally emerged from the nearby farest to where the two ninjas were fighting. "Damn! Were too late!" Kakashi said as he saw the chaos and the two ninjas heading straight at each other.

The two could only watch in horror as the two best friends, the two rivals, came at each other with deadly attacks. Sakara screamed. "Nooooo! Please stop it!!!" But to no avail, they kept charging. The two collided. There was a massive explosion of light. The force hit Sakura and Kakashi, knocking them off their feet. A few moments later the light dissapered. There was a huge crater in the middle of a recently created clearing. Sasuke and Naruto were gone.

"NOOO!!!!" screamed Sakura. The tears were poring down her face. Kakashi lowered his head and his hands dropped to his side. "Sakura, we were too late. Let's get back and report to Tsunade."

"NOOO!" She yelled.

"Sakura, we have to get back."

"NO! We have to stay and find him! Naruto can't be gone! He has to be alive… Whenever there was trouble, he was always there…always. He always had my back, whenever I needed him most."

"I know. He was a great student. He knew though. He knew that when the time came for them to fight he would die. He foresaw it. Come on. Lets get you back."

"Ok." Sakura sniffed.

"Sa..Sakura..Ch…Chan, Ka..Kakashi-san"

"Naruto!!!???" Sakura quickly turned and started to scan the area, but she saw no one. "Sakura Chan. I n…need help with Sasuke." She turned and saw Naruto limping out of the forest carrying an unconscious Sasuke on his back. "NARUTO!!!" She screamed. He looked terrible. His clothes were torn, he had scratches all over him, and fresh blood was pooring out of the side of his body. "Your alive!"

"I can't believe it! I thought for sure you were dead." Kakashi exclaimed.

"It takes more than that to kill the future Hokage." Naruto said. As he was heading towards them he collapsed. "NARUTO!" both Kakashi and Sakura screamed.

"Quick we have to get both of them to the hospital. Sakura, can you heal their major injuries now so they don't die on our way back?"

"Yes, just give me a moment." A green glow enveloped her hand and she set to work. First she went to Naruto and pulled his shirt up. She gasped. There was a giant gash that was hidden by his clothes. "His injuries are more severe than I thought. I must get to work quickly." Moments later she stated "Ok. I was able to stop the bleeding and do a quick patch up for his side but it won't hold for long. Tsunade is the only one I know capable enough to fix this severe of a wound. Kakashi, you head back with Naruto while I fix Sasuke."

"No Sakura. Sasuke's injuries seem to be less severe. I can't leave you alone here with him. What if he wakes up and tries to kill you? No I won't leave you. Pick up Naruto, I will take Sasuke. He will make it back to the village alive."

"Alright then, lets go."

* * *

_Back at the village_

"What is the status with Kakashi and Sakura? Have they reached where Naruto and Sasuke are?" Tsunade asked.

"We are not sure yet Tsunade-sama. The two left the village a while ago. I am sure they have reached Naruto and Sasuke by now." Shizune said.

"All right, but keep me informed on the situation."

"Yes madam Hokage." With that Shizune left the office.

* * *

_At the front gate_

Kakashi stopped at the gate to talk to one of the guards. "Quick! Go let Tsunade-sama know that we have Naruto and Sasuke and that they need immediate medical attention right away. Tell her that we need her to perform the surgeries. We will be at the hospital waiting."

"Yes sir Kakashi-Sama." The guard said. And with that he disappeared in a ball of smoke.

* * *

_In Tsunade's office_

The guard poofed into the Hokage's office. "Tsunade-sama! Kakashi sent an emergency request that you meet him at the hospital. He says that he has Naruto and Sasuke and that they need immediate medical attention from you."

"What!!?? They have Sasuke too!?" Both Tsunade and Shizune exclaimed.

"Yes Tsunade-Sama. That is what Kakashi told me. Also it looked like Sasuke was draped over Kakashi's back." The guard replied

"Alright I am on my way." Tsunade stated.

* * *

_In the hospital_

Tsunade burst into the hospital throwing on a doctors over coat. "All right, where are they." She asked a nurse nearby.

"Naruto is in surgery room 1 and Sasuke is in surgery room 2." The nurse replied.

"Ok. What is there status?" Tsunade asked.

"Naruto has a giant gash in his left side. It was partially attended to by Sakura, but she couldn't do much for it. He also has a few broken ribs, a fractured arm, a stab wound in the other side, and multiple bruises and cuts all over his body. Sasuke is in less a critical of a condition. Sasuke received major bruising on his head from the final explosion which is why he is unconscious. He has bruises on his body, cuts, a few broken ribs, a cracked skull, and a broken leg." The nurse answered.

"Are there guards deployed outside of Sasuke's room?" Shizune asked.

"Yes Shizuni-sama. There are 10 ANBU black ops and 6 jounin." The nurse replied.

"Ok good. I will tend to Naruto first because his condition is critical. Everyone let me work." And with that Tsunade disappeared into Naruto's room.

Sakura turned to Kakashi and asked "Kakashi-sensei? Is Naruto going to be all right? I am really worried for him?"

Kakashi got a visable frown on his face through the mask. It took him a while to respond. "I don't know Sakura. He is in critical condition. You heard the nurse. He has multiple injuries that are severe."

She turned away from him. Tears started to well up in her eyes until she couldn't hold them in anymore. Tears started flowing down her face. "I…want him…to be….alright…Kakashi…sensei." Sakura sobbed.

"I know. All we can do is wait."

* * *

_Six hours later_

Tsunade emerged from the surgery room covered in blood. "Tsunade-sama?" Sakura asked. "How is he? Will he be all right?" Tsunade lowered her head.

"Sakura…He…"

* * *

CLIFF HANGER!!!!!

Don't you just hate those!!!

I am currently working on Chapter 2. I will post shortly. Please no flames please. I accept constructive criticism if you have anything that I need to improve on. Thanks.


	2. Chapter 2: Sakura's Visit, She Loves Who

The Recovery of Team 7: The Spark of Something New

Chapter 2: Sakura's visit, she loves who???!!!

_Dialogue: By me, Narrations, Locations, or whatever I feel like adding. Now is also thoughts._

Dialogue: Characters speech, story line, plot, etc.

(This is just to show you the difference. I know this is not needed but I wanted to be like everyone else with something up here!)

Disclaimer: I do not own anything or anyone from Naruto. Even though I wish I did, unfortunately I do not.

* * *

_Recap_

_Six hours later_

_Tsunade emerged from the surgery room covered in blood. "Tsunade-sama?" Sakura asked. "How is he? Will he be all right?" Tsunade lowered her head. _

"_Sakura…He…"_

* * *

_In the Hospital_

"Sakura…He…He has suffered major injuries. He is unconscious at the moment." Tsunade replied. She could see the distress in the pink haired kunoichi's green eyes. Her eyes had tears welled up in them like a damn that was about to burst.

"But will he be all right" Sakura demanded.

"I…I don't know. Only time can tell. I have done all that I can. It is in the fate of the heavens now. Now if you excuse me, I need to go and attend the self-centered psychopath who did this to him!" Tsunade stormed off in the direction of Sasuke's room.

"Nurse." Saskura asked.

"Yes miss Haruno?" The nurse replied.

"Is it all right if I go in and see Naruto now?"

"I am afraid that it will have to wait until tomorrow. His condition is still critical and we need to keep a watch on him. If something goes wrong its best not to have anyone in our way in there." The nurse saw Sakura's nod of approval and went off on her duties. Sakura was worried. She was worried that Naruto wouldn't make it. "_Maybe I could just take a small peak inside." _Sakura thought to herself. "_No. I can't do that. Naruto needs his rest, but if I were in the same condition as he was in right now he would find a way to see me"._ With her mind made up, Sakura snuck into Naruto's room. When she turned around her breath caught in her throat. There lay Naruto in a small bed, wrapped head to toe in white bandages. A new pair of his clothes lay neatly folded on top of the chair by his bead. The walls were standard issue hospital walls, plain white. "_Not much scenery in here. I know, I will bring him some flowers tomorrow. Ino will know the perfect flowers. I will visit her shop on my way here to visit him." _With that Sakura left the hospital and headed to her brand new apartment she recently bought. It felt good to finally be on her own finally.

Kakashi sat in a waiting room reading his book waiting to hear Sasuke's condition. Tsunade entered the hall and Kakashi immediately walked up to her. "How is he doing?"

"He will be fine. At least until he wakes up. Then I will beat that bastard to a pulp for what he did to Naruto." Tsunade said infuriated.

"Calm down Tsunade. You know that Akatsuki brainwashed him. It is not his fault. At least give him a chance to get his senses back. I think that being back in the village will awaken his old memories and he will return to the old Sasuke."

"All right. But he gets one chance, one chance only."

"Yes Tsunade-sama." And with that Kakashi disappeared. "_I just hope Naruto will be all right_" Both Tsunade and Kakashi thought.

* * *

_The next day_

Sakura woke up bright and early. "Ahhhh. Today is the day that I bring some life to Naruto's room before he wakes up. Some flowers will do just the thing." She got dressed, ate breakfast, and quickly headed towards the Yamanaka flower shop. "Oiiiii. Ino-Pig you here!!!!" Sakura shouted into the shop.

"Yes, yes!! I am here forehead. What do you want?" replied the somewhat angered Ino.

"I want to get some flowers for Naruto's room. I need your help to pick just the right ones."

"Eh? Flowers for Naruto huh? What's the occasion?" Inquired Ino, making Sakura turn a shade of red.

"Oh, well I mean….um well his room is so dull, and after him being injured so badly I thought that I would brighten his room up before he woke up. I mean he did bring Sasuke back and all. He deserves it." Sakura responded shakily.

"Uhuh okay. I guess your right. I mean, that kid sure did a lot for this village, you especially." Ino said skeptically.

Sakura, proud of her quick response replied, "Uhuh."

"Well, I think Lilies would be best, especially these white water lilies." Ino said while turning to a tub full of water. On the water floated delicate looking white flowers in the shapes of 8-10 pointed stars.

"There beautiful Ino! There perfect." As Ino was packing the flowers making sure that they were ready for the move to the hospital the two girls gossiped.

"I will see you later Ino." Sakura said as she walked out of the shop. "_Now to the hospital."_

* * *

_At the hospital_

Sakura approached the front counter. "Um, Excuse me." The women working behind the counter looked up and grunted. "Could you please direct me to Uzumaki Naruto's room."

A voice sounded behind her. "Don't tell me you have already forgotten Sakura." Sakura turned to meet this new mysterious voice. It was none other than her Sensei, Kakashi. "Hello Kakashi-Sensei. I was just checking to make sure that they hadn't moved him."

"Uhuh. Well I was on my way to visit him and then Sasuke. I will walk with you."

"Ok" Sakura responded. The two started heading down the hall. In a few minutes they reached Naruto's room. Sakura opened the door and walked in, followed by a Kakashi who was amerced in one of his "novels." "Kakashi-Sensei, put that down now! We are here to see Naruto."

"Fine." Kakashi put his book away and went to Naruto's bedside while Sakura was digging through the closet next to his bed. She pulled out a medium sized plastic bowl and walked to the bathroom to fill it up. She put the bowl with water on the window sill and put the water lilies in them. "They are beautiful. Don't you think so Kakashi-Sensei?" Sakura asked.

"Yes they are. I am sure Naruto will love them." Kakashi answered causing Sakura to blush a bit. "I wonder how long it will be until he wakes up?"

Sakura turned and looked at Naruto. "I have no idea, but knowing him he will be up soon and whining for Ramen."

"Hahaha. That is our Naruto."

"Yes it is."

"Ok, well I am going to go check on Sasuke. Will you be fine here?"

"Ya. I will be fine."

"Ok. You should go see Sasuke sometime. Naruto went through all that trouble to bring him back. The least you could do is go and check on him, for Naruto."

"Ok. I will go and see him later."

"Alright. I will be back later today." Kakashi said, but Sakura wasn't paying attention. She was staring at Naruto, thinking of all the times he had saved her or helped her out.

"Oh Naruto. Why did you go and have and do this to yourself? Sasuke isn't worth it. Why don't you realize that I don't love Sasuke anymore…That now I really love…."

* * *

DUN DUN DUN!!! ANOTHER CLIFF HANGER!!! Man I got to stop doing this to you guys. I personally hate cliff hangers myself. But they are just soo much fun to do!!!!

I am kind of having writers block at the moment though. I know that this chapter is kind of boring, but it is, well hopefully, setting up the rest of my story. Please bear with me. I am sorry again if this is boring.


	3. Chapter 3: He's Awake!

The Recovery of Team 7: The Spark of Something New

Chapter 3: He's Awake!

_Dialogue: By me, Narrations, Locations, or whatever I feel like adding. Now is also thoughts._

Dialogue: Characters speech, story line, plot, etc.

(This is just to show you the difference. I know this is not needed but I wanted to be like everyone else with something up here!)

Disclaimer: I do not own anything or anyone from Naruto. Even though I wish I did, unfortunately I do not.

* * *

_Recap_

_In Naruto's hospital room_

_Sakura was sitting over next to Naruto's bedside staring at him. "Oh Naruto. Why did you go and have and do this to yourself? Sasuke isn't worth it. Why don't you realize that I don't love Sasuke anymore…That now I really love…."_

* * *

_At the hospital_

"Oh Naruto. Why did you go and have to do this to yourself? Sasuke isn't worth it. Why don't you realize that I don't love Sasuke anymore…That now I really love…Ino?" Sakura said dumbfoundedly after noticing her best friend slash rival was standing in the doorway in complete and utter shock. "Ino! What are you doing here?" Sakura asked, trying to cover up her near confession.

"After you came into my shop I thought that I would bring over some flowers too. But I can see that you are busy. I will just come back at another time. We will talk later." Ino said with a look on her face that said, _"You are soooo going to tell me what is going on!"_

After Ino left, Sakura let out a sigh of relief that her friend had not heard what she was about to say. _"Wow that was close!"_ Sakura thought. _"If Ino had heard what I was about to say, she would have spread it like a wild fire, plus not let me live it down."_ With that, Sakura leaned back in her chair, preparing to take a nap. Right before she fell asleep, her eyes flew open. She almost forgot. "I have to go and visit Sasuke for Naruto." With that she headed towards Sasuke's room. She arrived at his room and right outside was a series of guards. 10 ANBU black ops and 6 jounin waited outside of his room just incase he tried to escape.

"Good morning miss." One of the ANBU black ops said.

"Good morning. Is Kakashi inside?" Sakura asked the ANBU.

"Yes maam he is." Replied the ANBU.

"Thank you. May I enter?" With a nod of the ANBU's head she entered. Inside sat Sasuke. He was awake and staring at the ceiling. Kakashi sat in one of the chairs by his bedside.

"It is good to see that you are awake Sasuke." Stated Sakura. Sasuke merely glanced in her direction, giving her a stone cold glare. Sakura became infuriated. "To think that I decided to come and visit you! How rude are you to glare at an old friend and teammate who came to make sure you were alright." Sakura yelled. Silence only followed. "Fine! Have a nice day! I will see you later Kakashi-Sensei!" With that Sakura stormed out of his room and headed back to Naruto's room. Once there she sat back in the chair and fell asleep.

* * *

"_Ow."_ His head hurt. _"Where am I? What happened?_" Slowly he opened his eyes. A bright light hit his open eyes and made him quickly shut them and groan. He swore he could hear a voice, but he just couldn't tell. His senses were all weak. Eventually he could hear the voice, and he could tell it was a voice for sure. It was calling him, calling his name. He opened his eyes once more. What met his eyes took his breath away. It was her. Her beautiful emerald green eyes and delicious cherry blossom hair was hovering over him looking down on him. _"Sakura."_ That was the only thing that popped into his mind and seemed to be the only thing he could focus on.

"Naruto, Naruto! Your finally awake! How are you? Are you feeling better?"

"H…Hello Sakura Chan" Naruto responded. His voice came out raspy from under use. "I'm fine. How long was I out for?"

"Two days." She responded.

"Two days? That long?" All of a sudden it hit him. An icy-wave of panic came over him. He shot up in his bed, "Sasuke! Where is Sasuke?!"

"Naruto, calm down. You need to rest. Sasuke is fine. He is in the other room and is already awake." Sakura said, trying to calm down the blonde headed boy. Naruto laid back down slowly. His muscles were sore all over. He felt as if he had just been through a fight with Bushy-Brows a second before he woke up.

"That's good." He said.

"I will be right back Naruto. I need to go get Kakashi-Sensei and Tsunade-Sama and let them know that you are awake." He nodded and with that Sakura dashed out of his room. Moments later a teary eyed Tsunade burst in the room. "NARUTO! Naruto your alive! I thought you wouldn't wake up! I can't lose another person close to me!"

"Hey Granny! Your crushing me!" Tsunade quickly let go of him before she herself killed him. Naruto looked up and could see tears streaming out of her eyes. "Its okay. I am fine. I am not going to die that easily!"

"You're right. I don't know what led me to think you were down for the count this time."

"Naruto! I am glad to see you have finally woken up." The voice was coming from behind Tsunade. Naruto couldn't quite place who it was. Tsudane took a step to the side and he saw that it was none other than his sensei, Kakashi.

"Hello Kakashi-Sensei. How has everything been going while I was out?" Naruto asked his teacher.

"It has been well. No one wanted to go on any missions while you were out. We all came and kept you company throughout the two days you were out. Sakura was here the most though. She came in the morning when the hospital opened and left when it closed." Naruto looked over at Sakura with tears in his eyes.

"You really were here that much?" He asked Sakura. She had a small blush on her face and her eyes were cast downward. She finally looked up at him and nodded her head. Naruto couldn't hold the tears in anymore. His emotions were running wild with the thought of how much his friends cared about him. The tears started streaming down his face. "Thank you guys so much for caring. I didn't know I had such good friends. I am so happy that all of you care so much about me." They all smiled while looking at him. The three of them proceeded to talk and after a while of talking to them, Tsunade and Kakashi both left to go tend to their other duties, leaving behind both Sakura and Naruto. The two sat in a comfortable silence for a while. Now with the distraction of multiple people gone, Naruto could get a good view of his room. The walls were a standard issue hospital white. _"Of course, the walls are white"_ Naruto said to himself. Continuing his search of the room he found a T.V., a clock, and over on the windowsill sat the most beautiful flowers he had ever seen. "Sakura? Do you know what type of flowers those are over there on the windowsill?" Naruto asked Sakura.

Sakura glanced over at the flowers and then started to blush a little. "Those are white water lilies. Do you like them?" She asked, hoping his answer would be yes.

"Like them? I love them. They are beautiful. Who brought them?" He questioned.

Sakura quickly looked at the ground trying to hide the fact that her face was turning red. She hoped he didn't see her face go beat red. "I did. I went to Ino's to find flowers so I could brighten your room up a bit. It was just so dull in here without any. Ino recommended them." She replied.

"Really Sakura?" She nodded her head. "Thank you. I love them. They do brighten the room a bit." Sakura didn't think her face could go any redder, but it did anyways. The two continued to talk until the sun started to sink into the horizon.

"Well Naruto, I am going to leave now. I have to get home and besides, I am pretty sure all of your other friends who have not been able to visit you would like to visit too before the day is over. I will come back and check on you tomorrow." She headed towards the door and opened it. She glanced back one more time giving him a big smile and saying, "I am glad you're okay. I was worried you wouldn't wake up." And after that she quickly left.

Throughout the rest of the day, all of his other friends stopped by to visit him. Each one had a story to tell about what happened while he was unconscious, and each bringing a fitful of laughter to him. His favorite was Kiba's story. He told of how he saw Jiraya in a tree peeking into the women's bath house and how he alerted the women of it. Naruto laughed extremely hard at the description of Jiraya's face and behavior that he nearly fell out of his bed in the process.

* * *

_Later that night_

After all of his friends had visited and bid him farewell, Naruto decided to reflect on the events of that day before he decided to call it a night. _"Today was a good day, no, a great day." _Naruto thought to himself. _"Who knew that I had such good friends who cared so much about me? I have to be the luckiest guy on the planet."_ Tears started rolling down his face. _"How will I ever make it up to all of them? I can't believe that Sakura was here so much. I thought she hated me. She always acted as if I was not worth her attention, as if I was scum not needed to be paid attention to. I am happy that she truly cares. When I am out of this hospital I will definitely make it up to everyone. That's a promise!"_

* * *

YAHOOO!!! Another chapter done! And hey! I didn't leave you guys with a cliff hanger this time! Here is a little preview of the next chapter. Naruto confronts Sasuke at the hospital. Ooooooh! What will happen!!! Darn. I guess that in itself is a cliff hanger. Oops.


	4. Chapter 4: The Battle Begins

The Recovery of Team 7: The Spark of Something New

Chapter 4: The Battle Begins

_Dialogue: By me, Narrations, Locations, or whatever I feel like adding. Now is also character's thoughts._

**Dialogue: Kyuubi & Inner Sakura**

Dialogue: Characters speech, story line, plot, etc.

(This is just to show you the difference. I know this is not needed but I wanted to be like everyone else with something up here!)

Disclaimer: I do not own anything or anyone from Naruto. Even though I wish I did, unfortunately I do not.

_The Following Day_

Naruto woke up early on his own, for the first time in his life—so that he would be awake when Sakura came along to visit. "_I hope she brings some Ramen! I haven't had Ramen in 3 whole days!"_ Naruto thought while drool dripped over his chin. About an hour passed by before Sakura walked into his room. "Good morning Naruto!" Sakura said to the blonde sitting in his hospital bed.

"Can I get up and walk on my own now?" The blonde eagerly asked. Naruto had been in bed for three days now and he wanted to get up and stretch his leg muscles.

"Absolutely not" Argued the pink haired medical ninja. "You still are not back to your full strength yet. If you want to go somewhere you will have to sit in a wheel chair." She said while pointing to the corner of the room. And of course, there sat a folded up wheelchair.

"Fine, I will sit in the stupid wheelchair, but only if you're the one who is going to push me around all day. Hey. Aren't you supposed to be working in the hospital?" asked the curious blonde.

"Normally, yes, but I took a vacation. Tsunade-Sama let me take a break until you are healed, well that is because she assigned me the task of taking care of you." Sakura replied. "You better not give me trouble." She said while holding up her clenched fist.

"Ok, ok! I got it, no trouble!" screamed the blonde haired ninja. He held his hands up in front of his face as if expecting an attack from the pink haired kunoichi.

"Good. Now get in the wheel chair, we are going to get breakfast." Sakura walked over to the wheelchair, unfolded it, and shoved Naruto in it.

"Hey! Do you have to be so rough?" questioned the irritated blonde. The only response he got was a giggle from Sakura. "Ooooh. So now it's funny huh?" This only caused Sakura to burst out in a fit of giggles while she walked him to the hospital cafeteria. "I still don't see what is so funny." He grumbled with his hands folded over his chest. Once they were in the cafeteria, Sakura wheeled him up to the ordering counter. "I will have miso ramen and pork please!" Naruto said to the lady behind the counter. He couldn't wait to dive into the delicious ramen. It had been so long since his last delicious meal. He could already taste the sweet meet and noodles in that delectable chicken broth. _Yumm_. Thought Naruto.

"Umm…no you won't. He will have the grilled sushi and a side salad. I will have the same." Sakura interjected. She turned to look at Naruto. He had tears pouring out of his eyes as his mouth hung open in shock. His hands were in front of him, flexing in and out like he could feel the ramen as if it were there. Sakura quickly pushed him to a table before he could demand that he have ramen and the lady go and get it for him.

"What was that for? I was just about to have delicious ramen?" The boy said while crying.

"It is not good for you. You need to have a nutritious meal for breakfast so your body can recover. You can not have junk food and expect to recover quickly." Stated Sakura. All Naruto could do was look down and continue to cry.

A few minutes later the waitress walked up carrying there food. Naruto's head still hung while tears soaked his hospital gown. "Here is your food sir and madam." The waitress said while handing them their food.

"Itadakimasu!" Sakura chimed.

"Itadakimasu." Naruto said while sulking. Sakura just looked at him and smiled over her fork.

After the two had finished there breakfast, Sakura decided to wheel Naruto to the park. "Wow Sakura-Chan." Said the blonde. He could only stare in wonder at the beauty of the surrounding area. Sakura had wheeled Naruto to her favorite spot in the park. It was a was a simple dirt road leading through a grove of trees. The trees were Sakura trees. There beautiful pink flowers swayed in the gentle breeze. The scent of cherry blossoms filled the air making Naruto close his eyes at the pleasant aroma. The dirt rode was covered in the shadows of the trees keeping the area nice and cool. The grove was so peaceful, so tranquil. The beauty immediately took Naruto to a place in his mind where he was happy and pain free. He forgot what he was doing and where he was until Sakura spoke.

"I know." Replied the pink haried kunoichi. She seemed a bit distant, as if lost in her memories. "I always come to this place when I am sad or upset. The trees here have helped me to get better, emotionally and physically, when I wasn't at my best. These trees provided shade and their beauty provided comfort for me. I thought that if I brought you here you would heal a little quicker."

"Thank you Sakura-Chan. I never knew that you actually cared for me. I always thought that you thought of me as a pest, a nuisance, but now I see that you are a good friend who has a big heart." Naruto looked over at Sakura. Inside, her heart felt both a pang of guilt and a blissful happiness. She knew she had hurt Naruto in the past and was determined not to let that happen again. The two spent a few hours relaxing and talking in the shadows of the cherry blossoms. The sun started to sink in the horizon when Sakura interjected that they should start heading back to the hospital.

On the way back Naruto seemed restless for some reason. "Naruto, are you ok?" Sakura asked the blonde.

"Oh. Yes, I am fine. I just want to go and check on Sasuke that is all. Could we stop by his room before we go back to mine."

"I don't know if that is such a good idea. I mean stress is n…"

"Sakura! Please! I need to go see him." Naruto interrupted. Sakura just nodded. Sakura started wheeling him towards Sasuke's room. A few moments later they were at his door.

"Naruto, are you sure you are ready? We can wait another day." Sakura said, nearly pleading the blonde to go to his room.

"No, I have to do this. Please take me in."

"Alright, but for only a minute." And with that, the two entered, Sakura wheeling Naruto in. Sasuke was sitting in his bed, making no move to acknowledge their presence.

"Sasuke." Naruto said. No response. The boy in the bed continued to stare blankly at a single spot on the wall in front of him. "Sasuke." Naruto said, a little more forcibly. Still no response. "Sasuke!" Naruto shouted. Slowely, Sasuke turned his head to glare in Naruto's direction.

"You bastard." Naruto said. "You Fucking bastard! How could you have done all of that to us? We were your friends, we were your team! I thought that we had a bond Sasuke, I thought we were brothers. How could you desert us!" Naruto was on the verge of tears. Sakura's head was down, her hair covering her face. Individual droplets of water would fall now and then from underneath her hair. Sasuke just sat there, watching it all with no emotion. "FUCKING ANSWER ME!" Naruto screamed. His eyes shifted for a moment from his rich cerulean eyes to the blood red eyes of the Kyuubi.

"You have no idea what I went though. You have no idea." Shouted the black haired boy sitting in bed. "I avenged my clan, killed my blood brother, and for what? To find out that he was forced to do it! To find out that the stupid elders here forced him to kill his mother and father, his uncles and aunts, his cousins, all except for me. He couldn't bring himself to kill me. He wanted me to grow strong, so he told me to avenge his clan, let the hate drive me. He wanted me to be able to defend myself when I grew older." Naruto now freely had tears pouring down his face. His eyes were a little bloodshot.

"Sasuke, I…I had no idea…but still…why would you try to kill everyone in Konoha? Why not just kill the elders? The bastards deserve it though, sitting on their high perch, ordering everyone to their deaths! You didn't have to destroy everyone like Itachi did. Itachi was forced, and though you might have been forced by his death to kill everyone, you didn't have to follow the same path, you could have just killed the ones that mattered and let the innocent live." Replied the tear stricken blonde. Sasuke was at a loss for words.

_Why didn't I think of that before_. Thought Sasuke. "Itachi was forced to kill the clan because of some people trying to start a rebellion. He could have simply killed the ones at the head of it all and left the innocent alive, but I guess he was just to horror stricken by the orders he didn't think of that. It was the same with me. I was forced to kill all of Konoha because of the horrible circumstances they put my brother through. I was to angry to think that all I needed to do was to kill the elders." Sasuke replied. Naruto could only stare.

Sakura had enough, she had to speak. "Sasuke?" she asked timidly. "Why did you do it? Why did you leave the village, why did you leave me?" The last question stung at Naruto's heart. He winced, but he knew that Sakura loved Sasuke and that there was no changing that.

"I did it for power. I needed to become strong." Replied the boy.

"But you could have done it here! You could have stayed with Kakashi and become just as powerful, you could have trained with us and we could have all gotten stronger together!" Sakura nearly screamed this at him. Sasuke turned his head and started to stare at the same spot on the wall again. He did not answer, and after a minute Sakura turned to Naruto's wheelchair and said, "Come on Naruto, lets go. I can see that we are not wanted." And with that she started to roll Naruto out of the room.

"Hold on one more second Sakura. Sasuke, I am sorry." After those words, the two exited the room and left their recently returned teammate. Once the door shut, Sasuke turned towards the door and glanced at it another moment before turning back and staring at "his spot" on the wall.

_Out in the Hall_

Sakura wheeled Naruto down the hall back towards his room. Their was an awkward silence filling the atmosphere around them and Naruto didn't like it one bit. He tried to ease the tension with a little joke. "Ne, Sakura-chan. Raven haired boy will be back to moping around the training fields in no time." Naruto glanced back at Sakura after his little comment and saw a small smiling tugging at her lips. "Sakura-chan, you know you want to smile, I can see it." Teased the blonde in the wheelchair. The tug increased in force a little, nearly making it a smile. "Come on Sakura-chan, come on. A little smile, Please!" Naruto said while making the puppy dog face. She couldn't stand it anymore, she broke out lauging. "There we go, see, it is all better now."

"Ne, you are right Naruto. Everything will get better. And raven haired boy will not only be moping around the training fields soon, but he will be moping while being surrounded by fan girls too." Replied the smiling kunoichi. Naruto couldn't help the smile on his face, but he felt a pang of sadness inside.

_Hey, Kyuubi?_

_What is it you brat?_ Responded the Kyuubi, obviously annoyed.

_Why is it that no one likes me, why is it that no girl likes me?_ Naruto asked, despair easily evident in his voice.

_Naruto, you're an idiot…_ The fox was shaking his head side to side behind the bars.

_I am not!_ Naruto replied furiously.

_If you can't see it then I am not even going to bother myself with telling you. Have a good day Mr. Oblivious_

_Hey you damn fox! _ But Kyuubi wasn't paying attention.

"Naruto?"

"Huh? Oh what is it Sakura-chan?"

"We are at your room, and I need your help to get you in your bed, is everything alright?" She was worried and he could tell. Her Jade eyes would show him everything she felt. He didn't like to worry her.

"Ne, Sakura-chan, I am fine." Naruto, with Sakura's help, climbed into his bed. Sakura started heading towards the door to leave to go home for a little while, to go to her special place and stop her emotional troubles.

"Naruto?"

"Yes Sakura-chan"

"I will be back in a little, I am sorry." And with that she was out the door and on her way to her spot. Naruto just sat there with a confused look on his face. _She is sorry? Sorry for what?_ He couldn't help but think.

_Once again…_ the Kyuubi chimed in, _if you can't tell or do not know, I am not even gonna bother to tell you. Damn humans and their obliviousness._

_Stupid fox!_

_Ignorant child_!

_ I am not a child!_ But once again, the Kyuubi cut their connection. _Damn that fox and not letting him defend himself! I wonder what Sakura was apologizing for?_ He would have to ask her once she got back.

I am soooo sorry that this chapter took so long. I was soo busy with school and homework, Tests, and soo on. Also I kind of lost interest in my story for a while and didn't feel like writing romance because of a stupid person. Nearly destroyed me. So ya…I fail at romance so I didn't feel like making this one a reality just yet. I waited till I felt better to continue...I feel better now. I also got over my writers block and found a good direction that I want to take this story in. I hope you like it and I have a few twists ahead of me. **Please Review, I could use some help on my ideas, I do not think that this chapter was the best and I was wondering if you guys have any ideas on how I could improve, THNX!**


	5. Chapter 5: Apologies

The Recovery of Team 7: The Spark of Something New

Chapter 5: Apologies

_Dialogue: By me, Narrations, Locations, or whatever I feel like adding. Now is also character's thoughts._

**Dialogue: Kyuubi & Inner Sakura**

Dialogue: Characters speech, story line, plot, etc.

(This is just to show you the difference. I know this is not needed but I wanted to be like everyone else with something up here!)

Disclaimer: I do not own anything or anyone from Naruto. Even though I wish I did, unfortunately I do not.

_Outside with Sakura_

Sakura had just left Naruto's room, tears burning at the edge of her eyelids. She was still facing the door, her head bent and her luscious pink hair covering her face. Her hand still rested on the doorknob, quivering in place. She forced herself not to cry, composed herself a bit, and headed towards the hospital's exit. Once the sun hit her face when she left the shade of the compound, she felt instantly ten times better. The warm rays of the sun acted as a source of warmth for her emotionally as well as physically. She turned and started heading towards her favorite spot in the park. The road in the park was cool and shaded by trees. It took about a minute from the parks entrance to reach 'her' spot. The Sakura trees swayed in the breeze, there bright pink leaves dancing on the wind like leaves drifting on a river. She silently sat down in a nook under one of the Sakura trees, welcoming the cool shade from the hot sun. It was a normal day outside, a warm, sunny, mid summer day. _It is beautiful out right now._ Sakura thought to herself. She sat there in the cool shade for an hour or so, just enjoying the peace and quiet until she remembered what she had said to Naruto before she left. _Why did I say I am sorry to him! Now he is going to want an explanation. Ugh!_ She kept mentally scolding herself for the slip up. _Well I can't change what I said, so I guess I should start preparing my speech._ And with that Sakura started thinking of all the ways she could apologize, not liking a single one. _Why is this so hard! _She mentally screamed. _Ugh I will just go and maybe the words will come to me then._ Sakura slowly got up from her sitting position under the Sakura trees, stretching her cramped muscles, and then off she went, to her nightmare. It took about ten minutes, figuring that she kept delaying the inevitable and taking as many side streets as possible, making the trek longer than necessary. Though this was so, eventually she reached the gates of the hospital. She entered through the door and started heading up to Naruto's room. It was about 4:30 by the time she reached Naruto's room. She cautiously grabbed the handle to his door, shakily turning the knob and slowly opening the door. She prayed that he was asleep. When she poked her head in, her hoped were dashed. In there sitting up in bed staring at where her head entered the door was none other than Naruto. "Hey Sakura-chan! What were you doing this whole time?" he asked the pinkette.

"Oh I was at my favorite spot in the park. Just sitting and relaxing in the beauty. I kind of lost track of time though, sorry." She said to the blonde. All of a sudden his faced scrunched up in a curious manner. "Oi, Sakura-chan, how come you were apologizing earlier?" And there it was. The question the pink kunoichi was dreading. She tried to play dumb. "What are you talking about? I think you were hearing things." Hoping he would take the bait, she faked a confused look. The blonde didn't buy it at all. He turned serious and said, "I am absolutely sure I heard you correctly, you said that you would be back later and that you were sorry, what for?" The kunoichi tensed visibly so Naruto relaxed his features a bit. "It's ok Sakura-chan, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"No Naruto, it's not that, you see, I am just nervous because I don't know how you are going to react." She said quickly, trying to make sure he knew that it wasn't him but her.

"Eh, what are you t…" he tried to say but the pink haired girl cut him off.

"Naruto, I am sorry for everything." She made sure he was listening before continuing. She looked down and continued "I am sorry for the way I treated you when we were kids. I had no right. I was so mean to you, always fawning over Sasuke, never paying attention to you. I know now how wrong I was." She looked up directly into his eyes. He had a shocked expression written on his face. Then his eyes softened. "Sakura-chan, you don't need to apologize, you did nothing wrong." She looked shocked as a smile grew on his face. "But I was so mean to you! I don't deserve having you as a friend." Tears started burning at the rims of her eyes but she refused to let them fall, she would not look weak in front of him ever again.

"No, you do. You are so wrong if you think you don't deserve me. It is the opposite in fact. I don't deserve you. You are the most amazing person I have ever known. You are so smart, you help me when I am hurt or injured, and most importantly you smack me when I am getting out of line." She couldn't take it anymore. The tears were let loose like a dam. They were flowing down her face freely. A cry burst from her lips as she lunged herself at him from the side of the bed. She landed on him with him letting out an 'oof.' He just held her and stroked her hair as she cried into his shoulder. "Na..Nar…Naruto….you… are such… a ….good friend." She tried to get out between sobs. "Shhh. You need to rest. You are exhausted." A small smile started to from on his lips. "Shh Sakura-chan." Within a few moments her sobs died down as she fell asleep in his arms. He slowly got up and moved her to the couch. He pulled an extra blanket out of the closet and laid it over her sleeping form. He couldn't resist himself. He gently leaned down over her and placed his lips on her forehead, giving the ever slightest and most loving peck. "Goodnight Sakura-chan" A small smile made it on to her lips but slowly vanished as he left her side.

Little did the two know, they were being watched by someone outside the window in a tree. "Ehehee this is even better than that part in Icha Icha Tactics where the main character pronounces his love to her!" Giggled Kakashi sitting in a tree outside there room. "I will leave them alone for tonight, but tomorrow they are going to have some explaining to do. I will have to happen to walk in as they are getting up in the morning." Kakashi planned deviously. "oho this is gonna be good!"

Meanwhile in the room, Naruto had slipped into bed and turned off the light. He glanced one last time at the sleeping pink haired kunoichi on the couch by his bedside and nodded off to sleep.

_The Next Morning_

Sakura woke up groggily the next day. Where was she? She couldn't remember going home last night, or getting changed, or even taking a shower. When had she fallen asleep? She slowly got up and took in her surroundings. The first thing she noticed was the plain white walls and knew immediately she was in a hospital room. _Oh my god! Did something happen to me!_ She started to freak out until she heard gentle snoring behind her. She slowly turned around and noticed Naruto on his side sound asleep. Then it all hit her. She was still in Naruto's hospital room. She was crying in his shoulder after apologizing to him and must have feallen asleep. She could also remember something, but it was so faint. It felt like someone had touched her forehead or something. The thing she remembers vividly is the warm emotion behind it and the feeling it gave her. She felt like she was all warm inside. She felt so happy at that moment but had no clue why. She got off of the couch as quietly as she could and decided she would head home to take a shower.

Not half way across the room and she heard someone voice, "And where might you be off to?" She turned to find the owner of the voice only to see Kakashi sitting on the window sill. "Oh. Good morning Kaka-sensei. How are you this morning?" She asked her sensei. "Oh I am fine. Just was walking the road of life when I stumbled across Naruto's room." He stated in his boring manner. A vein popped on Sakura's head. "Don't give me that crap Kaka-sensei" She said. "Alright, alright. But the question this morning is not how am I doing, no, no, it is how are YOU doing?" He accentuated the 'you' so she knew he was up to something. She decided to respond cautiously. "I am fine sensei." She said that skeptically, giving him a 'what the hell are you up to' look. "Oh and how is Naruto?" Now she was really confused. "He is asleep sensei, why don't you ask him yourself later." She couldn't help but wonder what he wanted. "Ahh so he is really tired. And you don't look the best right now…." He elbowed her and lifted his eyebrows up and down enthusiastically. Ok now she was lost. What the hell could he be trying to get at? Then it hit her. She was in Naruto's hospital room in the early morning, her clothes and hair really messed up, and Naruto still sleeping in his hospital gown—which a person is naked underneath. Her face went as red as it possibly could. "Kaka-sensei!" She screamed in a near whisper. "It is not like that!" he just eye smiled. "Oh and what is it like then?" She turned trying to hide her blush. "I was tired and dozed off before heading home that is all." She stormed out of the room after that. Kakashi's lone eye opened and his eyebrows went upwards in what could only be described as an evil smirk. He looked over to Naruto and said creepily, "Don't think I am done just yet. You will get your turn soon enough, that is as soon as you wake up." He then took a seat on the couch next to Naruto's bed and pulled out his Icha Icha Tactics to wait for Naruto to wake up.

**A/N** **Once again I am sorry it took so long for me to post this. I am still horribly busy even though it is summer. I finally found the time to write this so I sat down and wrote it. Once again, feel free to R&R. I could really use the constructive criticism. I would love to make this story better, so if you have any ideas on how the story should go, or on anything I should change, just let me know. Thanks.**


End file.
